"Infidel!" Agrathor howled to the sky. Pierce startled. The skeleton threw a gauntlet to the ground in a show of disgust. "Kash thinks to desecrate the Holy Temple of Everlasting Transcendence, does he? I will ruin him! I'll come up behind him in the dark of night, plunge the bones of my hand into the soft flesh of his side, and pull out his organs, one by one! I'll..."
He made the motions with a bony hand as he growled.
Pierce cut him off, having a thought. "Can you really sneak up on anyone, though? You creak when you move."
Axebourne made a pained face, put a hand to his temple in concern.
"Grahhhhh!" Agrathor roared, and he struck Pierce in frustration. His hand drove into Pierce's breastplate like a battering ram, denting it. A shockwave of dust raced out from the crater. Pierce grunted and fell back a step, adopting a defensive stance.
"Whoa, what did I do?" he asked, bewildered.
Axebourne's jaw dropped. "That punch once killed... a giant bloodhoof."
Scythia looked surprised as well.
Despite the gravity of the moment, Agrathor was still grinning. Pierce wondered if he would ever understand this man.
"Oh," it dawned on him. "You don't like talking about it, do you?"
Agrathor growled again, but Scythia put a hand on his shoulder. "Peace, friend. The young man is... not what we're used to working with. Try to have patience."
The skeleton man backed off a few steps and stayed quiet.
"That is why you came, though," he said. "Not just because you desire my might, but because you know my passion for the temple, for the way of the Glorious Paths." The green flames of his eyes dimmed a little. "You really are good friends."
"More than friends," Axebourne said. "Comrades."
The two men clasped arms up to the elbows and gave each other a look of solidarity.
"So first we defend Grondell," said Agrathor. "Then what? Obviously, if Kash comes himself, we kill him. If not, do we go to the Underlands?"
"It would be dangerous," Scythia said, "especially if Kash's forces are mobilized. It's one thing for a lone warrior to go down and fish out a tribute. Something else for an organized group to mount an attack. We cannot kill all the hordes of the Underlands on our own."
Agrathor gave her a look that said he thought otherwise, but he did not argue.
"No," Scythia continued. "Whatever comes after that, we will have to wait and see. For now, will you come with us? Your might is unparalleled. We cannot do this without you, Aggie." She said this earnestly, but glanced at the dent in Pierce's chestplate.
Agrathor did not equivocate. "I will come," he said. "We will show the Underlanders what true might is!" Lightning struck in the distance, throwing up dust and blue-white glare.
"So..." said Pierce. "I can't stand it, sir. I have to know - how did it happen?"
Pierce considered the black eye worth it. Agrathor had socked him pretty good, but told him the story anyway. He'd had to know. It would have nagged him to the end of the adventure and beyond - assuming he lived.
Pierce chuckled to himself, imagining the itch of mystery following him onto the Glorious Paths.
The group had to travel a little ways back toward Nux. Partway back, a branch in the road would send them in the general direction of Grondell, and Axebourne had said they could find mounts at a town along the way called Cypha. They would have to circle to the far side of Grondell to search out Gorgonbane's fourth member and head back west toward the Temple city.
Then the race would be on, and with a Glorious blessing, they would make it to Grondell on time.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sugar and Deathgripz
The town of Cypha was much cleaner and more orderly than Nux had been. Being from the far north, Pierce had never been to any of these places before, and was pleased to see that everything in central Overland wasn't all the same.
Cypha was walled and gated, but the gates stood open on this fine day. The red sun was dim, leaving the land below cool, with a breeze coming in from the east.
Axebourne had said Cypha was known for its quality livestock, and Pierce began to smell some of it cooking. His mouth watered. They'd had only travel food since leaving Nux - the food there hadn't been that great either - and the last really good meat Pierce had eaten was the stolen heinoushog he'd cooked in the Underlands.
The party was allowed through the gates by an older guard who greeted Axebourne with a salute. Pierce thought how good it must be to be known, and trusted, everywhere you went.
Naturally the party searched out Cypha's taverns first, to eat, drink and settle into current events. They could also spread the news of impending doom.
Axebourne picked a little dive that had a homey feel to it, with a plump red-haired woman working the counter. The tavern's entire front was open, accordion-style doors pulled to the sides to let the fresh air in and the smell of spicy foods out.
"Oh Sugarrrr..." Axebourne called as he approached the woman. She looked up and a smile lit her face.
"Axiiieee!" she beamed and rushed around the counter to capture him in a great big hug. "What are you doing here?" She put her hands on either side of his head and inspected him thoroughly, pinching at his jowls.
"I've been feeding him, Sugar," said Scythia, smiling. "Don't worry."
Satisfied, Sugar relinquished Axebourne's face and stood back. "So?" she asked.
"Well, we're on a bit of an errand," Axebourne said. "More than that, I guess. Actually, if things don't go well, it may mean the end of Overland as we know it."
Sugar made a concerned o-face, but she didn't really seem worried to Pierce. "Well, we better feed you then! Come, bring your friends." She moved off toward an empty stretch of the bar and gestured the party onto their stools
